Parachute pack



Oct. 20, 1942. J. R. c. Qulurlnl PARACHUTE PACK Filed April 4, 19401vPatented Oct. 20, 1942,

PARACHUTE IACK John Raymond Cuthbert Quiltel, Woking, EnglandApplication April 4, 1940, Serial No. 327,885 In Great Britain October10, 1989 3 Claims. (Cl. 2&4-149) This invention relates to parachutepacks and more particularly to arrangements in vwhich folded parachutesare stowed in the backs of aviators iiying suits or like garments, forexl ample as described in pending application Serial No. 312,786 ledJanuary 6, 1940. s The invention has for its main object to provide lanimproved pack having a separator interposed betweenmain and pilotlparachutes in order to distribute the pressure or kick exerted by the.spring which tends to open the pilot parachute so that this pressureshall not cause discomfort during the wear oi." the garment.

Another object of -th'e invention is to provide a kicker-board orseparator with means for loeating the separator in relation to theparachute openingspring so that the parts will be -held from slippingout of place until the release of the pack by the usual rip-cord orequivalent.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thesubsequent description of a preferred embodiment oi the invention, asillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a. pilot parachute in the deployed state,showing the spring ex= tended.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view or the kicker-board or separator.

Fig. 3 is a iront view of the kicker-board.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view ona larger scale. showing the parachute infolded state, with the spring collapsed and pressing against the kickerboard, the whole being stowedin a space at the back oi' a. ying suitsuch as described in the pending application Serial No. 312,786mentioned above. v

As shown in Fig. 1, the pilot parachute a is provided with a datcircular top panel b, made for example of linen, to the circumference ofwhich there is attached the larger end of a conical spiral spring c; thepanel bis provided with a pair of eyeletted tabs or grommet flaps d atdiametrically opposite points of the top spring coil, which is seemed orstitched to thepanel b. 'I'he body of the springeis enclosed in aconical bag or stocking e from which radial vanes f extend shall notinterfere with the release of the main to the periphery g and dome h ofthe canopy, y

lar boss or stepped area k at the center ot a substantially rectangularseparator or kicker" board l shown in Figs. 2 and 3; this board isprovided with rounded corners ll and its sides are prefer-- ablysomewhat longer than the diameter oi the larger end of the spring c. Inthe collapsed position, shown in Fig. 4, vthe spring c restsapproximately ilat against the kicker board I with the pilot parachute afolded around it; the cord m, connected to the rigging line loop n ofthe pilot parachute passes through a hole o` at one corner of the board.this cord being preferably iitted with rubber rings p, sleeves or thelike between which the board l is gripped, so as to ensure thewithdrawal ot the board by the-outward movement of the cord in orderthat it parachute which is connected to the other end of the cord.

The kicker board l is conveniently made of multi-ply linen or the likeembedded in a syn--v thetic resin material, being .for example about 9inches square and from gli to of an inch' thick, with a. central boss kabout 2 inches in di-4 ameter raised one-quarter of an inch from itsouter face, and a corresponding depression on the opposite face.

The main parachute r, which is stowed in any preferred manner, forexample as described in the above mentioned pending application, withits shroud lines z engaged upon a `base s tted within the space providedat the back of the ying suit or the like, is covered by a-pair ot mamclosure naps t extending from the sides or the garment and havingeyelets at their meeting edges, which overlap upon two locking cones orstuds u projecting from the base. The kicker board l is placed overthese flaps t and nts loosely between the cones, but the pilot parachutea stowed behind the board is engaged withl the same cones by means ofthe eyeletted tabs d projecting from diametrically opposite points ofits top panel b. Two external lateral naps v, attached to the mainclosure iiaps t of the ming suit or the like, are made large enough tocoverthe stowed kicker board l and pilot parachute a, one ap having aplain edge v1 with two eyelets for engaging the locking cones u; theother nap (which rests over the ilrst) is provided also with a pair ofeyelets positioned for engagement with the cones u, but has an extensionw which can be folded back over the tops of the cones, the free edge ofthis extension being fitted with one v:member of a sliding claspfastener x, of which Vthe other member is mounted upon the body of thesame flap v. l I

The rip-cord, which may be enclosed lin a tubular seam or housing uponone of the main closure iiaps t, as described in the above mentionedpending application, has its inner wire forked at a point near the topof the smallex-,V

ternal naps, one of the forked wires y being env gaged in each of theaperturedcones u after theY stowing of the parachutes and before theextension w of the outer ap is fastened.

Upon operation of the rip-cord, the. coiled spring c opens out the pilotparachute a, pushing the external flaps v ofi the locking lcones; the

pilot parachute'then draws out the connecting cord m carrying the kickerboard l and by means of this cord pulls out the main parachute 1- withthe shroud lines a from between the inner or main closure flaps t, thedeployment of the main parachute then taking Iplace in the usual mannerafter it has been drawn out into the airstream.

What I claim is:

l. In a parachute pack, the combination of a parachute in the stowedcondition of said parachutes.

2. In a parachute packcomprisingmain and pilot parachutes, a tensilemember connecting t said main and pilot parachutes. and a compressionspring attached to said pilot parachute, said spring being compressedbetween said main and ipilot parachutes in the stowed condition of saidparachutes, a separator consisting of an eccentrically apertured plate.said plate being positioned upon said tensile member with its apertureslidably engaged by said tensile member and being interposed betweensaid spring and said main parachute in the stowed condition of saidparachutes.

3. In a parachute pack, the combination of a main parachute, a pilotparachute, a tensile member connecting said main and pilot parachutes, acompression spring having one end attached to the canopy of said pilotparachute and the other end connected to said tensile member, and aseparator positioned upon said tensile member at a point distant from`:said connected spring end, said separator being freely interposedbetween said main and pilot parachutes to receive the force of saidspring in the stowed condition of said parachutes and being lifted fromsaid main parachute independently of said spring by said tensile memberafter the deployment of said pilot parachute. 'JOHN RAYMOND CUTHBERTQUILTER.

